Releasable fastening devices



2 Sheets-Sheet l lNvEN-roks ATTOQNEY M. W. WHITE ETAL RELEASABLE FASTENING DEVICES Jan. Z1, 1964 Filed Aug. 2e, 1960 Jam 21, 1964 M. w. WHITE ETAL RELEASABLE FASTENING vDEVICES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 26, 1960 L53/ W .d

ATTOQNEY United States Patent O 3,lld,703 LEASABLE FASTENING DEVCES Maurice William White, Gravelly Hill, Birmingham, and

Fhiiip 'Swingewood lemons, Birmingham, England, assignors to Wilmot-Breeder; Limited, Birmingham, England Fhed Aug. 26, 1969, Ser. No. 52,l55 Claims priority, application Great Britain Ang. 29, 1959 4 Claims. (Cl. 292-221) This invention relates to releasable fastening devices, and in particular to releasable fastening devices suitable for use with vehicle doors and to door and body structures utilising such fastening devices.

Fastening devices for veihicle doors normally have two parts for mounting respectively on a door pillar and a Corresponding body pillar, these parts engaging when fastened to prevent opening movement of the door. Such engagement of the parts cannot prevent relative movement of the body pillar and door in the plane of the latter so that body distortion, for example during a collision, sometimes produces suilicient separation of the door and body pillar for the door to burst open. In recent years fastening devices have been developed which act to prevent undue relative movement of the body pillar and the door in the plane oi the latter, and the object of the invention is to provide a releasable fastening device which will prevent such relative movement in a particularly convenient and simple manner and which moreover possesses further subsidiary advantages.

According to one object of the invention a releasable fastening device comprises two parts adapted to enter into coupling engagement as a result or" relative translatory movement, one of the parts being arranged so as to be externally shrouded by an associated door or body structure when litted therein and the other part adapted to enter within the shroud during the fastening operation so that when the parts are coupled the engagement of the other part witlnn the shroud will prevent separation of the parts in a direction transverse to the direction of said relative translatory movement.

Preferably the shroud is provided, when the device is fitted, by a structural member such as a panel member or pressing forming part of an associated door pillar so that trie main body ot the device is completely concealed within the door structure, a small aperture being left in the latter to allow entry of the other part.

Preferably the shrouded part is rotatably mounted for movement within the shroud to the coupled position and with the other part arranged to remain stationary at least in the angular sense during the fastening operation.

The other or fixed part may be generally U-shaped with one limb of the U formed for Ytiring to the body or door illar and the other limb formed for coupling engagement with the rotatably mounted part, so that during the fastening operation the shroud enters between the two limbs oi the U.

According to another object of the invention a door or body structure, for example a vehicle door structure, utilising a releasable fastening device comprising two parts adapted to enter into coupling engagement as a result of relative translatory movement during a door closing operation has one of the parts mounted within the structure and externally shrouded thereby, the other part being adapted to enter the structure for the purpose of such engagement and the latter being arranged to prevent separation of the parts laterally of the door when the parts are coupled.

When intended for use with heavy doors, tor example the doors of commercial vehicles, it is desirable that vertical guiding means be provided to guide the two parts into coupling engagement. Such guiding means act during the fastening operation to lift the door if the latter has dropped and they may comprise a guide roller mounted within the shroud for engagement with the xed part. The guide roller is conveniently of nylon or some other material of a resilient nature. A guide member may be positioned within the shroud to engage the other side ot the xed part to position the door correctly it the latter is slightly high.

The invention will now be further described with reterence to the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, a releasable fastening device in accordance wit-h the invention in association with corresponding vehicle door and body structures, and in which:

`FGURE l is a side view of the shut face oi the door structure,

.FIGURE 2 is a sectional view of the door and body structures on the line 'll- Il in lFlGUlE l, and

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view on the line lil-l-lll in FIGURE l.

The fastening device utilises two parts in the form respectively of a striker i mounted on a body pilla 2 of the vehicle body structure so as to be stationary during the fastening or door closing operation and a rotatably mounted latch pin 3 carried by and projecting through ya backplate 4 mounted on the corresponding door pillar 5. The function of the parts l and 3 and the associated inside elements of the device are generally similar to those of the fastening device described in our co-pending patent application Serial No. 690,293, now Patent No. 3,642,436, and hence is not further described in detail herein. In the drawings only the adjacent portions o the door and body structures are illustrated suiicient to show the arrangement oi the device relatively thereto.

The backplate :t on which the latch pin 3 is mounted is iixed to and spaced inwardly from a structural men-- ber in the form of a pressing forming a side panel member 6 of the door pillar S deining the 'aforesaid shut face. This member 6 serves to shroud the latch pin 3 within the door structure itself, and for this purpose the pin 3 terminates short of the member d. The striker l2l is generally U-shaped as shown more particularly in 'FIGURE 2) with one limb 7 formed for bolting to the body pillar 2 so that during the fastening operation the other limb S can enter the door pillar `S for latching engagement with the latch pin 3. To enable the tree limb 8 of the striker i to enter into such shrouded engagement with the latch pin 3 the door panelling is cut away at 9 to provide a Suitable aperture through which the limb 8 passes.

A nylon guide roller i@ is pivotally mounted, on one of a number of tubular rivets il serving to attach the backplate 4, between a cranked portion l2 of the backplate which engages the panel member 6 and an outtrigger bearing plate 13 of the device. A pressed guide member 14 mounted on the baclzplate d between the latter and the panel member e has a cur ed inwardly facing nose, and the arrangement is such that the roller lll and guide member la act to position the door vertically relatively to the striker l during the fastening operation to guide the striker into correct latching engagement with the latch pin 3. For this purpose the outer edges of the striker l are smoothly radiused oit with inclined guide surfaces 15 and it (see 'filllll'3 l which shows in broken lines the limb in latching position), and if the door is initially too low the guide roller ld engages and rides up the upper guide surface i5 to litt the door to its correct level; alternatively, it the door is initially -too high the guide member le engages and rides along the lower guide surface lo to lower the door.

The guide member i4 serves as a housing tor a springloaded wedge 17 which is slidably mounted within the housing and urged inwardly of the door by a compression spring l. During the fastening operation the inclined guide surface 16 of the striker 1 engages the wedge 17 and moves the latter against the spring loading, at the same time entering into wedging engagement therewith to wedge the striker against the downwardly facing surface 19 of the cranked portion 12 of the backplate 4. This wedging provides vertical restraint and prevents rattle of the door when fastened, and as the striker limb 8 is wedged against the surface 19 the wedging load is not borne by the guide roller 19 which is only engaged by the striker if the door is initially too low and then only before wedging of the striker occurs.

Any tendency for the vehicle body to distort and allow the door to burst open, as may occur during a collision, is resisted by engagement of the free limb S' of the striker 1 with the padel member 6 which shrouds the latch pin 3. Thus the member e serves not only to shroud the rotatable part or latch pin 3 of the device, but also to prevent the parts 1 to 3 from becoming uncoupled and the door from bursting open as a result of body distortion.

We claim:

l. A releasabie vehicle door fastening device comprising a rotary latch part mounted ywithin and shrouded by a door structure of the vehicle, and a U-shaped striker part having one limb fixed to an associated body structure of the vehicle and having another limb which is of forked shape with upper and lower arms, said other limb being adapted to enter into coupling engagement with said latch part on door closure with the latch part received within the fork arms of said other limb, a structural member of said door structure having an aperture through which said other limb enters prior to said coupling engagement with said latch part and the arrangement being such that when said parts are coupled separation thereof in a generally horizontal direction transverse to the fastening direction in the event of distortion of said body structure is prevented by engagement of said other limb with said door structure, said other limb` being spaced from said door structure in that direction, Ia guide roller initially engaging the outer edge of one of said arms, a springloaded wedge member, and a iXed wedging surface, said wedge member engaging the outer edge of the remaining arm when said wedging surface engages the outer edge of said one arm.

2. A release-able vehicle door -fastening device comprising a rotary latch part mounted within `and shrouded by a vehicle door structure, and a U-shaped striker part having a lirst limb which is tixed to the `vehicle body structure and having a second limb which has a forked shape including upper and lower arms, said second limb being adapted to enter into coupling engagement with said latch part on door closure with the latch part received between said upper and lower arms, a structural member of said vehicle door structure being cut away to allow entry of said second limb of said striker part for said coupling engagement with said latch part and the relative arrangement or" said door structurek and said parts then being `such that separation of the latter in a generally horizontal direction transverse to the direction of relative translatory movement thereof during fastening is prevented by said door structure, said second limb being spaced from said door structure in that direction, a guide roller adapted for engagement with the outer edge face of one of said arms, and a spring-loaded wedge member and a fixed wedging surface, said Wedge member engaging the outer edge face of the other arm and said wedging surface engaging the outer edge face of said one arm on door closure to apply vertical restraint to said second limb and to relieve said roller or" ,all wedging load.

3. A releasable vehicle door fastening device comprising a rotary latch part mounted Within and shrouded by an associated door structure of said vehicle, a striker part mounted on the body structure of said vehicle and adapted to enter into coupling engagement with said latch i part on door closure, a structural member of said door structure being cut away to allow entry of said striker part before coupling engagement with said latch part, andV vertical guiding means also mounted and shrouded within said door structure which act to guide said striker part relative to said latch part and comprise a guide roller for engagement with one edge of said striker par, a springloaded wedge which engages the opposite edge of said striker part and a fixed surface against which said striker part is wedged by said wedge when Ythe device is fastened to apply vertical restraint to said striker part when the device is fastened without subjecting said guide roller to a wedging load, the arrangement of said parts when coupled lbeing such that said striker part is horizontally spaced from said door structure and distortion of said body structure during a collision which would otherwise resul-t in separation of such parts in a generally horizontal direction brings said striker part into engagement with said door structure which opposes said separation.

4. A releasable fastening device according to claim 3, whereinV the guide roller is formed from a resilient material such as nylon.

References Cited in the lile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,470,001 Descombes Oct. 9, 1923 1,910,372 Thomas May 23, 1933 2,160,591 Haberstump Nov. 30, 1937 2,246,086 Austin lune 17, 1941 2,914,352 Roethel Nov. 24, 19597 2,914,353 Roethel Nov. 24, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 309,411 Great Britain Nov. 15, 1928 

1. A RELEASABLE VEHICLE DOOR FASTENING DEVICE COMPRISING A ROTARY LATCH PART MOUNTED WITHIN AND SHROUDED BY A DOOR STRUCTURE OF THE VEHICLE, AND A U-SHAPED STRIKER PART HAVING ONE LIMB FIXED TO AN ASSOCIATED BODY STRUCTURE OF THE VEHICLE AND HAVING ANOTHER LIMB WHICH IS OF FORKED SHAPE WITH UPPER AND LOWER ARMS, SAID OTHER LIMB BEING ADAPTED TO ENTER INTO COUPLING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID LATCH PART ON DOOR CLOSURE WITH THE LATCH PART RECEIVED WITHIN THE FORK ARMS OF SAID OTHER LIMB, A STRUCTURAL MEMBER OF SAID DOOR STRUCTURE HAVING AN APERTURE THROUGH WHICH SAID OTHER LIMB ENTERS PRIOR TO SAID COUPLING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID LATCH PART AND THE ARRANGEMENT BEING SUCH THAT 